We were so heartened to hear that the National AIDS Memorial Grove had renamed their college-scholarship program the Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship. It is dedicated to continuing Pedro's legacy by supporting the academic efforts of emerging young leaders who share Pedro's passionate commitment to ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

I found many ways to justify my addiction. I'd use high-brow terms, calling the series an anthropological study of fame and the lengths people will go through to achieve it. I'd marvel at the varying levels of awareness different reality stars had for the affect of cameras being shoved in their faces.

Over the years, Murray, an openly gay man with a teenage son, has been a champion for LGBT rights. From Los Angeles he opened up about the new season of The Real World, Pedro Zamora and the shows imprint on pop culture.

But for some, for many just a bit older than I, there was really real programming in the form of The Dick Cavett Show: live television that featured the great literary and cultural personalities of the time.